Naoki Yoshida interview @Gamescom

[Welsper59]

People have been tired of the same content formula for a very long time. It is simply the game's community that is holding the game together. Frankly that has been the case since 1.0. Without the community this game would have never made it to ARR. This is a testament to the fact that people will continue to play and pay for this game no matter how bad it is. Yoshida I'm sure is keenly aware of that fact.

I don't think people should be expecting the game to change much at all from what it currently is.

You're making it out to sound like communities are a bad thing. That MMORPGs, which traditionally are centered around the fact groups of players form lasting communities, is something they shouldn't do...? Like it's not something that should be needed for an MMORPG to last? If that's the case, you're WAY off the mark. Lasting communities have always been what makes a game in this genre hold out for as long as they do. Hell, it's what makes practically anything last as long as it does, regardless of what form of entertainment it is. Its always been about forming bonds with the people around you, where the lone wolf only lasts for so long if they go in not knowing what to expect by doing so.

MMORPGs are always a revolving door, as that's the nature of the genre, something that while not literally unique to it, is more noticeable because you (the player) depend on the existence of other players. Yoshi-P is not wrong to fear that too much change in XIV is a bad thing... it often is in this genre. When you really break it down, the reason you come back to this game is because of the fact you're familiar with it. You know what to expect. You have your online friends, you have your content you're experienced with, you have daily expectations to be met, etc.

Too much of the same thing can be bad, yes, and that is something of concern to folks who notice it. Something to keep in mind though is that bit I mentioned, where MMORPGs are a revolving door of games. They expect you to leave at some point and hope that maybe you'll come back, but it's no skin off their back if you don't because of the simple fact that others will replace you.

No matter what, entertainment always loses appeal sooner or later. Do you still play every game you played 10+ years ago just as much (or more) as you did back then? Hell, do you still play every game you've enjoyed playing in the last few years all the time for each?

[Felis]

I can't think of any other MMO that I've played, where you can accurately predict almost everything that is going to be added in a content patch months or even years before the patch is even implemented.

There is always 1-2 new contents that is not part of expert dungeons, trials or raids.
Is it already be know what it will be in 3.4? Or is the matter, that there will be something new, already part of a pattern?

[Bourne_Endeavor]

More than anything, the pace of vertical progression is what diminishes the value of the content cycle. The feeling is basically "why should I put in so much effort to get this gear, when I'm just going to replace it in 3 months ?" and that feeling eventually will lead to "Why am I even playing this game ?" For some the answer is glamours and RP, and for others it is the competition that exists in the raid or PVP scene. This is why servers like balmung and gilgamesh are so full because that is where those communities are the most prevalent. People have gravitated towards those servers because people more and more are realizing that without a strong community, this game has very little substance.

First, six months not three. Nonetheless, how exactly would you change this? Horizontal progression is oft touted as the end all be all, but what would it accomplish to revolutionize the game? Okay, you upgrade gear in lieu of replacing it. What is actually different? Instead of acquiring a whole new set, you're just un-equipping your existing one, going to a NPC to upgrade it, then re-equipping the exact same armour you already had except now it's stronger. Both systems are essentially identical; only the route taken actually differs. We wouldn't be farming content for new gear, but token, gears or whatever. Basically, what we already do with Void Ark and Weeping City.

I never liked this kind of suggestion. It's not our job to suggest something different or come up with new ideas, that's the job of the professional game developers that make the game. It's perfectly valid to say the pattern of new tomestone -> two dungeons -> trial -> raid is repetitive and it's still the same model for character progression. I certainly don't know what they could do to change it, but I do feel the same pattern of content release gets rather dull.

Because complaints without suggestions are pointless. How can you expect anyone-- developers or otherwise -- to give you what you want, if you don't tell them? I want to see more dungeons designed like Weeping City; perhaps even a savage version. If I only say "this game is too easy!" The devs aren't going to necessarily change the difficulty in a way I actually want since I didn't specify.

[Kosmos992k]

First, six months not three. Nonetheless, how exactly would you change this? Horizontal progression is oft touted as the end all be all, but what would it accomplish to revolutionize the game? Okay, you upgrade gear in lieu of replacing it. What is actually different? Instead of acquiring a whole new set or just un-equipping your existing one, going to a NPC to upgrade it, then re-equipping the exact same armour you already had except now its stronger. We already have this.

Indeed, I agree.

Especially as you can just glamour your old set over your new set if you prefer the look, or want to 'preserve' the longevity of it...side-graded gear where upgrades don't directly impact primary attributes are fun, but fluff. Anything that alters the gear performance might as well just be new gear since you can glamour the old on the new anyway - so what difference does it make?

[loreleidiangelo]

There is always 1-2 new contents that is not part of expert dungeons, trials or raids.
Is it already be know what it will be in 3.4? Or is the matter, that there will be something new, already part of a pattern?

The biggest problems with XIV's content releases are generally as follows:

-the "extra new unpredictable" stuff they add is almost always in catch-up patches, not during ilevel increase patches. Players don't have the option of running PotD/Diadem/Feast/whatever to progress their character, they are literally funneled into the same pipeline of "raid or Tomestone cap" that has plagued every patch from the start of this game.

-a lot of the "extra new unpredictable" stuff tends to involve glamour rewards or leveling/gearing alts. While I actually think this gives XIV an interesting niche, it's definitely not the playstyle for a lot of people, especially since you can only realistically do difficult endgame raid content as one class, rendering those rewards somewhat meaningless.

-the best rewards are coming from the most faceroll of content. I doubt anyone would care about dungeon roulettes if they weren't the only way for non-raiders to get any relevant gear. Even the "new interesting unpredictable" contents of Diadem and PotD are considered largely faceroll by the general populace, though they still have room to grow.

-the devs are more invested in making this "new exciting unpredictable" content that they don't bother re-visiting OLD content, leaving it to slowly smolder in a rapidly growing content dumpster fire filled of player's hopes and dreams. Why should anyone care about the flavor-of-the-month content when next patch it will be forgtten?


Just off the top of my head, these are some reasons why XIV's formulaic content patches are generally seen as "doin' it wrong".

[Phafi]

if it didn't get a positive reaction then we wouldn't be getting the 150+ Floors added to it in the next patch.

Cause it's so difficult to create five monsters that have two aoe floor markers and maybe ten that MIGHT have mechanics and writing "Welcome to floor 51, 52..."

[AnaviAnael]

I never liked this kind of suggestion. It's not our job to suggest something different or come up with new ideas, that's the job of the professional game developers that make the game. It's perfectly valid to say the pattern of new tomestone -> two dungeons -> trial -> raid is repetitive and it's still the same model for character progression. I certainly don't know what they could do to change it, but I do feel the same pattern of content release gets rather dull.

I have to disagree. Giving suggestions to the developers for what we would and would not like to see helps them develop content that people would want to play. Simply saying, "I don't like it" doesn't give them much to work with.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

To be fair, I actually prefer PotD being a slow development for the simple fact it allows the devs to gauge overall reaction before jumping into it. While the initial release may feel minimalistic, there is a solid foundation that let us tell them exactly what we felt was missing. Comparatively, they spent a whole patch cycle on Diadem and LoV only for both to be dead on arrival. If this means the next sequence of PotD does incorporate player feedback like objectives and more variety, I'll be happy. Of course, on the flip-side, if their idea of a "challenge" for floors 100-200 is to turn up the numbers but otherwise leave it "kill trash mobs". That will be quite a letdown.

[MilesSaintboroguh]

You know, it makes me wonder if the game is THAT predictable and boring, why keep investing in it?

[Thayos]

We get all this content and it's TOO PREDICTABLE!

#firstworldgamerproblems